Category Archives: History

Cats and dogs are about as different as… well… cats and dogs. But one thing they have in common, at least from a scientific perspective, is that researchers don’t know exactly where or when either one arose. Scholars had long … Continue reading →

We tend to take cats and dogs for granted. Maybe it’s because they’re everywhere. Maybe it’s because we just can’t imagine any other animals as such beloved companions. But could we have ended up with pet foxes or badgers instead? … Continue reading →

When I wrote my book, Citizen Canine, nearly 10 years ago, one of the first things I covered was an unusual case in Scotland. It seems that in 1990 a gamekeeper had shot three cats on a grouse moor. His aim, … Continue reading →

Dogs vary more in size than any other mammal on earth, from teacup-sized Chihuahuas to towering Great Danes. Most of this extreme variation has arisen over the past two centuries with the rise of modern dog breeding.  But Victorian dog … Continue reading →

Where and when did dogs arise? It’s one of the greatest mysteries of domestication, and one that remains unresolved despite decades of study. Scientists know that all modern dogs descend from a population of gray wolves. But exactly who these … Continue reading →

Unlike the ongoing mystery of where and when dogs arose, the history of cats is a less convoluted affair. Most scholars agree–based on both archaeological and genetic evidence–that domestic cats likely arose in the Middle East some 10,000 years ago. … Continue reading →

Ancient pet cemeteries are rare. Archaeologists do find dog and cat burials, sometimes dating back 10,000 years or more. But these creatures are typically interred alone, or with people, in one-offs–not in a dedicated burial ground. Researchers have also unearthed dozens of cat … Continue reading →

Given our deep and enduring relationship with dogs, it’s remarkable that scientists still don’t know where our canine pals came from, or when they arose. Researchers have speculated that dogs evolved everywhere from Southeast Asia to the Middle East, and … Continue reading →

In 1885, an elderly Scottish woman decided to bury her cat, Tom, in a nearby cemetery. Though the decision might not seem controversial to us, it caused a riot in Edinburg. The woman, hoping for a “decent burial” for Tom, … Continue reading →